AbeBooks book blog

Grumpy old author Maurice Sendak

The Guardian has an interview with children’s author Maurice Sendak, who appears to be exceptionally grumpy. It’s a long, interesting interview and rather sad in places, especially where the author is contemplating his own death.

At 83, Sendak is still enraged by almost everything that crosses his landscape. In the first 10 minutes of our meeting, he gets through:

Ebooks: “I hate them. It’s like making believe there’s another kind of sex. There isn’t another kind of sex. There isn’t another kind of book! A book is a book is a book.”

The American right: “These Republican schnooks would be comical if they weren’t not funny.”

Rupert Murdoch: “His name should be what everything is called now.” But he publishes you! “Yes! Harpers. He owns Harpers and I guess the rest of the world, too. He represents how bad things have become. But I don’t know a better house. They’re all in trouble. They’re all terrible.”